The legalization of marijuana is a rapidly growing debate in modern day society. Many believe it can aid in economic growth and carry many health benefits. While legalizing marijuana might help states produce a surplus of tax revenue, it will end up hurting the economy down the road. Although marijuana may be able help treat certain diseases and cancers, it also poses potential health risk in the future. Legalizing marijuana will negatively affect the economy and public health in the long-term. In November 2012 in Colorado, 55% of registered voters approved an amendment that made it legal for the retail sale, purchase, and possession of marijuana (Implication of Marijuana). According to “The Implication of Marijuana Legalization in Colorado” there is no minimum age restriction for the use of marijuana, but only state residents may purchase it. Since the legalization of marijuana in Colorado, the use of healthcare has increased. “Increased availability led to increased health care utilization related to marijuana exposure” (Monte, Zane and Heard). Since 2012, Colorado health clinics have seen an increase in clients due to overdose or pure marijuana intoxication. According to “The Implication of Marijuana Legalization in Colorado” this use to be rare until marijuana became legal. The side effects that were present in overdoses due to marijuana included “Anxiety, panic attacks, public intoxication, vomiting, and other nonspecific symptoms precipitated by marijuana use”
Marijuana, the plant of the cannabis, has been around since the early 1900’s. Throughout history, marijuana has been used illegally, for both recreational and medical uses. Recently, marijuana has been used for medicinal purposes, like aiding HIV/AIDs patients, healing migraines and controlling nausea caused by chemotherapy. Today, there are currently 21 American states that have legalized medicinal marijuana including two states that have legalized recreational marijuana. Since December of 2007, the economy has been declining, the unemployment rate has been increasing and the value of money has been inflating. The legalization of marijuana can help solve both medical and economical conflicts.
Since 2012, four states in the US have allowed sale of cannabis for recreational use by adults over the age of 21. (Colorado, Alaska, Oregon, and Washington State). Washington State legalized growing of cannabis for personal use and legalized it for gifting to friends. In 2016, more states are considering legalization and within the next 4-5 years, half of the state will at least most likely to have proposed a bill talking about decriminalization or even legalization. In the paper it discusses the probable effects that will come with legalization and also the possible effects, along it also talks about the legalization of cannabis and how it affects the use of alcohol, tobacco and opioids, which can tend to be a lot more dangerous that cannabis. Study Method. This report aimed to briefly describe the regulatory regimes so far implemented; outline their plausible effects on cannabis use and cannabis-related harm; and suggest what research is needed to evaluate the public health impact of these policy changes. It reviewed the drug policy literature to identify: (1) plausible effects of legalizing adult recreational use on cannabis price and availability; (2) factors that may increase or limit these effects; (3) pointers from studies of the effects of legalizing medical cannabis use; and (4) indicators of cannabis use and cannabis-related harm that can be monitored to assess the effects of these policy changes. Study Findings. Legalization of recreational use will
Background and ThesisThere are 29 States in the United States of America that have legalized marijuana for medical use. Marijuana first became illegal in 1937 when the United stated introduced The Marijuana Act. This Act stated that anyone buying, selling, dealing or giving away marijuana must pay the Internal Revenue a special tax (Industry Updates) To eliminate trafficking of psychoactive drug, congress passed The Controlled Substance Act in 1970. The U.S Governmentfound the marijuana had a high potential for abuse. Because of that they classified it has a Schedule 1 controlled substance, the government did not believe that marijuana had any medicinal purposes. The law held a penalty of 5 years in prison and $250,000 in fines for even the smallest amount of marijuana.. The United States found that Marijuana effects the user’s mental health as well as their lungs. Smoking Marijuana places 30 times more carcinogens than cigarette smoke into your lungs (Bob Barr). Cannabinoid receptors in the brain are affected by the THC, tetrahydrocannabinol, which is the main chemical in Marijuana. Smoking Marijuana only takes about 30 seconds to get in the blood stream and to your brain. Once THC reaches the brain it over activates the Cannabinoid receptors altering the persons mind and body (Kevin Bonsor and Nicholas Gerbis).The U.S. Institute of Medicine (IOM) found cannabis to give relief to people with conditions like
Medical use of Marijuana is probably the most discussed topic of the legalizing campaign over the recent years. Some opponents of Marijuana say that it does not have any medical uses at all, and argue that Marijuana is only harmful and should remain illegal. Others for legalization have an opposite view that is starting to gain more recognition as time goes on. Around the late 1990’s, some members of the nation’s medical establishment began to acknowledge marijuana’s potential health benefits. One respected health organization, the Institute of Medicine, released a report in 1999 which stated that “nausea, appetite loss, pain and anxiety can all be mitigated by marijuana (Medical). In an article Drug Legalization, Advocates of medical marijuana say that in many cases it is the only treatment that has been shown to work. “It is a very effective medication for people who have failed to get good results from standard medications,” says Ethan Russo, a neurologist who has studied medical marijuana, “and that is why so many people are devoted to risking their lives and career to get this drug”(Drug). There are many reports that Marijuana can help with conditions traditional medicines do not seem to help with. Marijuana has also been a huge help to patients with Cancer, HIV/AIDS, Glaucoma, and Insomnia. With a lot of prescription medicines being expensive, Marijuana would be a cheaper alternative to buy if people chose to do so.
The legalization of recreational marijuana has recently been a widely debated topic, especially since medical marijuana was legalized in several states. Critics say that cannabis is a Class I drug that has both negative health effects and behavior effects. However, there is minimal evidence to support these claims, and none of the benefits of marijuana are taken into consideration when the arguments are made. The possession and use of recreational marijuana should be legalized in the United States because it would provide a steady source of income for the government in the form of taxation, it would reduce the sale of more dangerous drugs since they would not be present in dispensaries.
On January 1st the states of Colorado and Washington officially began the regulation of legal marijuana sales. Thousands of people from all over the country including tourists from Wisconsin, Ohio, Chicago, and even Georgia lined up out front of dispensaries to make a purchase. Recreational marijuana is being regulated and monitored like alcohol; you must be at least 21 years old to make a purchase. The drug, which is controversial in many states’ legislations, is currently legal for medical use in 20 states, but Colorado and Washington were the first to approve of recreational use (Healy). The geographical concepts involved in the legalization of marijuana include migration, movement and flow, and private/public space.
A controversial social topic surrounding our time has been the issue of legalizing marijuana for recreational purposes. Cannabis sativa, also known as marijuana, was classified by the United States government as a class I drug in 1970, which means that it is against the law to possess and distribute this illegal substance (Source 2). However, in recent years, many states have made marijuana more accessible for medical and recreational use. States such as Colorado and Washington have not just decriminalized possession and distribution, but have enacted laws that encourage the recreational use of cannabis. Around 100 million Americans have experienced this drug (Source 1). Essentially one in four Americans
This proposal would eliminate marijuana from the Control Substance Act and it would no longer be categorized as a Schedule 1 substance. The proposal would also require a federal permit for growing and distributing marijuana within state and national borders. The last aspect of the proposal would require for marijuana to be regulated exactly like alcohol by the Food and Drug Administration as well as the Bureau of Alcohol, Tabaco, Firearms, and Explosives. Both of these proposals are probable options for the United States, but the key question they must answer is: Should marijuana be a national issue or a states issue?
For over a century the legalization of medical marijuana in the United States has been a growing controversy. Washington and Colorado are the two recent states that have legalized the use of marijuana for recreational uses. In contrast, others in federal positions believe the use of marijuana has no beneficial use to it which creates a struggle into its legalization. Marijuana is classified as a Schedule 1 drug believed to be dangerous and highly addictive, also thought to be a “gateway” drug leading to a dark path of drug abuse. Most of these poor assumptions are supported and investigated to be incorrect by many researchers and first hand users. The strict drug laws around the United States have made tests of marijuana's effectiveness
The goal of this research is to evaluate possible increase in public heath complications after the establishment of medicinal marijuana in the state of Colorado. Two issues
I live in an age dominated by information and technology. One where it is considered easier to open up a search engine and look something up than it is to start a conversation with a stranger. I live in era where I have more information at my fingertips than my ancestors could have even imagined existed in their lifetimes. I live in a time where without a doubt people should be the most educated and well informed than anybody in human history, and yet, this couldn’t be father from the truth and it appalls me. The wealth of information available to every single individual has done exactly the opposite of what makes logical sense. People have become lazier and lazier to the point where more often than not it becomes too much of a hassle to formulate an opinion individually. People just accept what is told to them and believe the convenient truths. However sad this may be… it is the truth. This truth allows otherwise big ticket discussions to go un-talked about. One such issue is that of the legalization of recreational marijuana. Many just assume that the reason that this “harmless substance” isn’t legalized is due to stuffy old politicians stuck in their ways or some other trivial reason. The truth of the matter is, marijuana is dangerous. It’s just as much a harmful drug as cocaine and meth are, and thus should be treated as a harmful drug. It blows me away how in a period of unlimited access to knowledge how little people actually know about this substance they’re quick to
The use of recreational marijuana was legalized in the state of Colorado in the November 2012 election (Hudak, 2015). As Colorado’s Amendment Sixty-Four was put into place, its ruling and subsequent implementation were in direct conflict with U.S. federal legislation that criminalizes the drug’s possession and use (Hudak, 2015). With more states legalizing the use of medical marijuana and a small percentage of jurisdictions following Colorado’s lead, the debate over whether marijuana should be legal continues. Proponents of the debate advocate that the use of marijuana in small to moderate amounts is not any less harmful than the recreational use of alcohol. Proponents of the drug’s use also advocate that many with chronic diseases and terminal illnesses benefit from the drug’s pain relieving effects. Opponents of legalization state that harmful use of the drug will likely increase and children could become exposed to harmful levels of the drug (Alcoholism Drug Abuse Weekly, 2014).
Since 1920, the dangers and harms of marijuana have been exaggerated. Many of the stories of films like "reefer madness (reefer madness)" were used to support anti-marijuana laws, these stories still remain in use today by the government in its anti-drug campaigns and reports.
Cancer is soon to be the leading cause of death in the United States. It currently accounts for nearly one in four deaths, and it is estimated that 1.6 million new cases will develop in 2014 (Freimuth,Ramer,&Hinz, 2009). Today, there are many treatments for cancer but they need to be implemented early and aggressively to achieve a therapeutic outcome. Therefore, it only makes sense to adventure out in the hopes of finding a more effective cancer treatment. Marijuana is a controversial topic in the news today, with many people for the legalization of medicinal use. Marijuana(cannabis) contains various organic chemical compounds known as cannabinoids. In the past few years, research into the anti-tumorigenic effects of cannabinoids have yielded some breathtaking results. This recent research has shown cannabinoids have the ability to inhibit tumor cell growth, and even program the cancerous cells to destroy themselves. These studies have also demonstrated that cannabinoids can affect the way tumor cells metastasize, and invade other tissues (Freimuth,Ramer,&Hinz, 2009). The following review will outline the data related to the impact of cannabinoids on cancer cell viability as well as their effectiveness in cancer symptom relief, compared to the treatments currently being practiced. The findings discussed here hope to shed new light on the therapeutic and anti-tumorigenic uses of cannabinoids.
Marijuana is derived from the dried flower clusters of a stain of hemp pant called cannabis sativa. So, people ingest to induce euphoria, also to treat the certain medical problems. Use of marijuana is termed is prohibited under federal law, but certain jurisdictions allow regulated use for medical purposes. The legalization of marijuana is considered as a controversial matter prevailing throughout the world. Before, in most ancient cultures did not grow the plant to get high, but as an herbal remedy. The hemp plants of marijuana have low levels of tetrahydrocannabinol, the substance accountable for hallucinatory effect. In addition, there is movement to legalize marijuana by supporters for years and able to create momentum across the country. Therefore, Alaska and Oregon has been legally approved to use for any use, however in many states marijuana is allowed for medical use. As the legalization of marijuana can cause crimes, injury, and increase addicted number. However, I strongly believe that marijuana should be legalized as the majority of the public supports its legalization and it brings billions of dollars in tax revenue and has medicinal values. As, people have been using the marijuana in any manner, and scientifically there is no proven harm to body by it.